Chapter 11
After she finished eating, Garnet stretched out on a couch. Bean found a pillow and lay down on the floor between the couch and the door. When he first told her he would sleep on the floor, she’d told him he could take the couch, but he declined, saying that he was good on the floor.
She felt bad but drifted off too quickly to insist they switch if he couldn’t fall asleep. She woke to the sound of him snoring. Slowly, she cracked open her eyes, watching him sleep. A thrill shot through her as she watched, warming her from the inside.
Brady had trimmed his beard recently, but it was growing back in dark and thick. He had tanned skin and dark hair. He had some wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled, but sleep smoothed out everything, making him look peaceful.
His body wasn’t bad, either. Earlier, he had body armor on, but he’d taken it off when they returned to the embassy. He had broad shoulders and muscles over his chest. She imagined his belly was trim. His legs were long, probably well-muscled.
He cleared his throat, and her gaze flew to his. “You slept well.”
She nodded, unsure if he was making a statement or asking a question. “I feel better. How about you? Did you get some sleep?”
“Best sleep on a mission.”
“Really? You were on the floor.”
He chuckled. “Usually on a mission, I’m sleeping on the ground with snakes and bugs crawling around. Here in the embassy, there is a Marine stationed outside the door. No one could attack without that dude sounding the alarm. I relaxed without fear.”
“Hadn’t really thought of that.”
“Sleeping on missions is risky. I’ve been on missions that last for a long time, like weeks, and I have to sleep, but there’s always the risk that I snore too loudly or someone sneaks up on me. If we’re in a jungle or out in the countryside, there are snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawlies.”
A shiver worked through her. “Ugh, I’d make a terrible soldier.”
His deep chuckle vibrated through her. “Few can do it.”
She sat up, stretching her arms over her head. “Well, I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. I’m just a normal guy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re being very modest. Not much is really normal about you. I get it, you don’t want to have the focus put on you, but I am impressed.”
“And I’m impressed with you. You’re very smart.”
She reached into her bag and pulled out her toiletries. “I should brush my teeth before I start working again.”
He nodded. “I’ll make sure the Marine outside knows to watch the bathroom. I’m going to catch up with the guys on my team.”
“Have they made any progress?”
“Not sure. I’ll find out in a few minutes. I’ll tell you what I can when I get back up here. I’ll bring you some coffee.”
“Milk and sugar, please.”
“Sure thing. And don’t go anywhere without a Marine or me.”
“I won’t.” She had no desire to wander around after being abducted and held by terrorists.
Not knowing who had changed the systems, thus requiring her to travel here, scared the crap out of her.
It could be the woman who had been murdered, the guy on vacation, or someone else she wasn’t really aware of. Not knowing was frightening.
Bean headed downstairs and found his pack. He brushed his teeth and freshened up, changing shirts because he thought he smelled a bit. He heard someone behind him and saw Chase stepping in.
“Hey, get any sleep?”
“I did. Sleeping with Marines standing guard makes it a little easier.”
Chase chuckled. “In a way, yes. I’d sleep a lot easier at home, though.”
“True. So did you guys learn anything?”
“The guy who is on vacation, he’s not at the hotel where he had his reservation. No one can find him. So we’re not sure where he is.”
“I’m getting coffee. Did anyone bring in anything for us to eat?”
“They did. There is food—”
An alarm blaring cut Chase off. Bean rushed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He had to find Garnet. He was going against the flow, squeezing past a rush of people heading out. A part of him feared this was a trap, pulling everyone outside to pick them off. Fear for Garnet rose.
It was a little too convenient to be just some random fire alarm going off without any smoke. If there had been a fire, someone would have screamed about it, and he hadn’t heard anyone yell out.
He made it to the stairs on the second floor when a Marine rushed past, yelling at him. “You’re headed the wrong way. Time to evacuate.”
“Where is Garnet?”
The guy gave him a strange look before he ran past. “Who?”
“Shit.” What was up? Was anyone watching Garnet? Where the hell was she?
He was in the hall, looking in each room for her, when a door swung open behind him. He spun, placing his hand on the wall to steady himself as he changed directions.
Garnet stood in the hall, light from the window in the room to her right shone on her, highlighting her. “I was washing my face.”
“We have to go.” He’d just reached her and pulled her close when the windows exploded. A canister landed in the hall next to them. Gas. “Run.”
He held onto Garnet’s hand as they raced away from the tear gas spewing from the can. The teargas confirmed someone was after Garnet. He had to get her to safety.
The sound of feet pounding on the stairs below filtered upstairs. They were trapped. They had to find a hiding spot.
He pulled Garnet to a stop and whispered in her ear. “We need to hide. I don’t trust whoever is running up here.”
She nodded, and they moved to the rooms on the opposite side of the building from the window that had exploded above. The third office he looked into had a door at the back. They dipped into the office, and he pulled open the door, finding a half-empty closet.
“Behind the boxes,” Garnet said.
When he closed the door, darkness cloaked them. He pulled a small flashlight from one of his pockets, illuminating the boxes. He handed the light over to Garnet, then moved the boxes so they could squeeze behind them.
If the people searching for her looked hard enough, they would be sitting ducks. They were on the floor, their legs pulled in close, the boxes keeping them hidden. Hopefully, this office would be bypassed, but he doubted whoever was looking for her would skip this closet.
Fear was like an explosion, filling Garnet to capacity, so breathing was difficult. She held in the scream threatening as the noise sounded in the hall outside the room where they were hiding.
Brady’s hand on her arm helped keep her calm. But if the voices got any louder, she was going to lose it. The noise died down. After a few minutes, the noise from the fire alarms cut off. She could breathe a little easier without the annoyingly loud beeping in the background.
She wanted to ask Brady questions but feared any noise would reveal their position.
Whoever was searching for her wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Brady.
He was strong, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be hurt.
His body armor had been abandoned while they were in the embassy.
This place should be safe, but she was finding that the safety she’d always considered intrinsic had fled after being abducted.
This kind of thing didn’t happen to her.
She was a nerd, a nobody. In her field, she was well thought of, but she didn’t think she was a big deal.
She’d given a few talks at conferences, but that should have been a safe place to discuss military security because everyone there worked for the government.
How deep did this thing go? Could someone have infiltrated the government? Was the enemy inside with them?
With the alarm silenced, every noise echoed. Someone was looking for them, and it sounded like two people. The fear built until she was shaking.
Then Brady visibly relaxed and blew out a breath. “Those are guys from my team. It’s okay.”
“Bean, that’s right. You said people call you that.”
He nodded. “They do.”
“Hey, Bean!” someone yelled outside in the room.
“Your friends, I know their names but not their nicknames. I need to learn those and what their voices sound like so I know who they are even when they have face coverings.”
Brady stood and grunted when he stretched out his back. “I’ll make sure you know them.” He pushed open the door as he called out. “Mick, I’m in here.”
The door opened, and Mick stepped in. Garnet studied him, adding his nickname to the name she already knew for him. Two other guys came in, and Brady greeted them. Now she knew who Stanley and Keel were.
Only three more left to learn. She stepped from the closet, looking around for any problems. Fear still held onto her, but with these guys around, she felt safer.
Now they just had to figure out who was after her and how to stop them. She thought the terror would end once she’d been rescued, but now it seemed like it would continue. When would she ever be safe again?